Batty boy

In Jamaican Patois, batty boy (also batty bwoy, batty man, and chi chi bwoy/man) is a slur often used to refer to a gay or effeminate man.[1] The term batiman (or battyman) is also used in Belize due to the popularity of Jamaican music there.[2][3] The term derives from the Jamaican slang word batty, which refers to buttocks or anus.[4]

Certain forms of Jamaican music feature both homophobic and extremely violent themes. One such example of this is the 1992 dancehall hit "Boom Bye Bye" by Buju Banton which contains lyrics that advocate for the killing of gay men.[5] The pejorative chi chi man forms the title of a T.O.K. song about killing gay men and setting them on fire; it was the Jamaican Labour Party's 2001 theme song.[5] In the following year, the People's National Party similarly based their slogan "Log On to Progress" on Elephant Man's track "Log On" which likewise features some violent and homophobic lyrics (e.g. "step pon chi chi man", i.e. "stomp on a fag").[5]

Post-World War II Jamaican immigrants brought the term "batty boy" to the United Kingdom. British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen frequently used the expression in his Ali G character, including in a 2002 interview that led to an apology by the BBC for Cohen's foul language.[6]

See also

References
  1. Younge, Gary (26 April 2006). "Troubled island". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  2. Scott, Julia (May 22, 2015). "The Lonely Fight Against Belize's Antigay Laws". The New York Times. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  3. Cayetano, Isani (April 9, 2014). "Transgender woman is stoned and beaten by an angry mob". News 5. Belize. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  4. Frederic Gomes Cassidy, Robert Brock Le Page (2002). Dictionary of Jamaican English. p. 32.
  5. Nelson, Leah (2011-02-27). "Jamaica's Anti-Gay 'Murder Music' Carries Violent Message". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
  6. Leonard, Tom (2002-02-19). "BBC sorry for Ali G's swearing". ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
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